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Monday, April 25, 2016

The Reckless Optimism of The Coward Flowers

Like walking through rooms of a very eclectic house, each
door opens into a new vibe. From experimental reverb to sundown twang leading
into driving alt-rock guitars, TheCoward Flowers’ ‘Jams and Jellies’ is comprised
of intricate song writing, taking the listener on a journey of emotions that
influenced the 2016 record.

"Everybody has gone through a real down point in their life, but they still try to maintain a positive outlook."

“We started writing the album over 2 years ago when the band
was in disarray. A guitarist and songwriter left, we rotated through drummers. Our
first album had been released to thunderous silence, and without a live lineup,
we were a band with no momentum to speak of. Additionally, I had just been
dumped,” Brendan McGrath (bass/vox) recalls. “So I just started writing about
everything on my mind, trying to work out how things had gone wrong.” As McGrath
and guitar/vocalist Tim Vlieger continued the record, the ups and downs of personal
relationships would play a critical part in song writing.

“Emotionally the album was mostly about the breakups we were having - the personal ones and the breakup of the band as we had known it. We were definitely feeling betrayed and a bit lost, however, we were determined to pick ourselves up and start fresh,” McGrath explains. “Everybody has gone through a real down point in their life, but they still try to maintain a positive outlook. That was our perspective throughout most of this album--a kind of reckless optimism.”

‘Jams and Jellies’ serves as the flagship album of the reboot
of The Coward Flowers. “The songs that worked best from the first album layered
catchy melodies over hard charging music. We wanted to expand on that approach,”
the band tells Bishop & Rook. Taking cues from influences like The Dandy
Warhols and The Byrds, The Coward Flowers utilized harmonies and refined their vocal arrangements. “The sound we wanted was pop
songs with a rock 'n' roll backbone.”

You can purchase the 7-track ‘Jams and Jellies’ on Bandcamp now. And catch The Coward Flowers live, on their mission to conquer the Boston
music scene at the Middle East Corner (Cambridge), Wednesday, May 4th
with The Hannas and Answerman(event details), and again on Tuesday, May 17th at
Great Scott (Allston) with 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumbler Idle Pilot, Joe Froeber and the Drunk Monkeys and Drug Dogs (event details).

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Bishop & Rook is an independent Boston music blog. We champion the underdogs, we stay up late on weekdays, we’re snazzy dressers and we promote the punk and rock genres of the Boston music scene by way of premium record and live show reviews, limit one per cocktail.